Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3074: Mystery Of The Woman

"You assumed right. These are a lot more efficient for tempering the flesh," she said, examining one. "I didn’t think anyone would actually pay with them. They’re rare."

"They’re also harder to trade for," Elyon added, smirking.

Meng Bai couldn’t help but chuckle. "You should’ve seen his stash. Lin Mu’s like a walking treasure vault."

Cattaleya turned to Lin Mu again, a touch of suspicion entering her tone—though not hostility.

"Why do you have so many of these? You’re clearly a sword cultivator."

That drew the attention of everyone in the circle. The question hung there for a beat.

Daoist Chu spoke this time, calm as ever.

"Because Lin Mu," he said, "is also a body cultivator."

Cattaleya’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

She turned her gaze to Lin Mu again—this time more closely, more analytically. She studied his posture, the flow of his qi, the way his presence pressed on the air subtly even when he wasn’t trying.

"I couldn’t tell," she murmured. "Not at all. Your Sword Intent is so sharp, so deeply ingrained, I assumed it was your primary path."

"It is," Lin Mu said quietly. "But it’s not the only one."

Now she looked intrigued.

"I’ve seen hybrid cultivators before," she said. "But never someone who could conceal the signs so well. That aura of yours is like a blade wrapped in fog. Dangerous, but hard to read."

Lin Mu didn’t respond. His silence said enough.

You’re not the only one with secrets, it seemed to say.

"Well," she said, slipping the pouch into her spatial ring, "payment accepted."

Her demeanor had changed slightly. There was a new layer of respect in her tone. Not because of the money—but because of what it implied.

Lin Mu was powerful.

Resourceful.

And not simple.

"All right, boys," Cattaleya said with a grin. "I’m officially on the payroll. Who do we hunt first?"

Elyon gave a sharp laugh. "We’ll brief you on the mission soon. But don’t expect this to be easy. We’re heading into dangerous territory."

"Perfect," she said, resting a hand on her hip. "I was getting bored."

As the fire crackled and the sea breeze carried the faint scent of salt and mist, Lin Mu turned back toward the darkness beyond the cliffs.

Danger was coming.

And now, their team had grown by one more enigma.

But perhaps that was exactly what they needed.

The next day dawned gray and overcast, the sun barely piercing the thick shroud of clouds that loomed over the sea.

The winds had shifted overnight, carrying the scent of brine and distant rot from the direction of the Crooked Abyss—a place that had long since become synonymous with madness, danger, and death.

Their group stood at the edge of a windswept cliff overlooking the descent into the blackened stone trenches that marked the border of the Abyss. Jagged crevices split the earth like old wounds, and unnatural mist crept up from below, curling like tendrils that yearned for the warmth of life.

Cattaleya stood at the edge of the group, her arms folded, face calm, sharp eyes gazing across the torn landscape. She had been thoroughly briefed the night before. Daoist Chu, Elyon, and even Meng Bai had laid out the situation: the corrupted sect ruins, the tainted beasts, the unnatural phenomena, and the suspected interference from unknown factions.

She had asked all the right questions.

Focused ones.

Tactical ones.

"How many entities have you encountered that showed signs of corruption?"

"Were any of them sentient?"

"What kind of formations or spatial anomalies were observed?"

"Do we have any idea how many sect remnants might be lying within the Abyss’s fold?"

But not once had she asked about Lin Mu.

Not about his title.Not about his origins.Not about his Sword Dao, nor his body cultivation.Not even about his bizarre ability to hand out Immortal Essence Crystals like candy.

It was strange.

And it did not go unnoticed.

They had expected at least a little curiosity, especially from someone as clearly sharp and seasoned as her. Lin Mu himself had grown used to being the object of quiet—or sometimes outright vocal—speculation.

That came with the territory of having returned from the Sacred Grounds, the Path of the Sealed Swords, and walking around with a Sword Dao Embryo that nearly made reality bend.

But Cattaleya?

She regarded him with polite interest and nothing more. She had seen what he could do—had heard a bit from Elyon and Daoist Chu, and certainly sensed the weight of his presence. Yet, to her, he was just a part of the group. No more, no less.

That alone intrigued Lin Mu more than anything she had said.

’Is she just cautious?’ Lin Mu wondered as they descended into the canyons. ’Or... does it simply not matter to her who I am?’

Either answer was rare in this world.

Little Shrubby, padding beside him with tail twitching thoughtfully, gave Lin Mu a sideways glance through narrowed golden eyes.

"She’s weird," the beast spirit said in a low voice through their mental link.

"You sense it too, then?" Lin Mu replied silently.

"Mmhmm. Not dangerous... just strange. Like she’s not completely here. Like her scent slips."

From around his shoulders, the twin serpents, Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang, hissed low.

"She smells human," Xiao Yin said, tongue flicking.

"But not entirely," Xiao Yang added. "There’s something else beneath. Old. Hidden. Not beast."

Ashy, the tiny bird perched on Lin Mu’s shoulder, ruffled her feathers with a low chirp.

"If she has a bloodline... it’s not from beasts," she said softly. "But I’d bet she has something. I just can’t tell what."

Lin Mu nodded to himself, the pieces turning slowly.

There were many races whose bloodlines had mingled with humans over the ages—some through ancient pacts, others through war, enslavement, or marriage. The giants of the northern Immortal Court. The Dragonkin of the magma shores. Even the fabled fey, whose trace lines occasionally appeared in rare prodigies.

But Cattaleya Duskthorn?

Her aura was compact, dense, and layered. Her qi was subtle—almost nonexistent—but her body exuded a raw presence.